Surface condenser



Oct; 6,1925.

C. L. A. M. LEBLANC SURFACE CONDENSER Filed m 15, 1920 2 h -Sheet l Oct. 6,1925. 1,556,117

c. 1.. A. M. LEBLANC SURFACE CONDENSER Filed May 15, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TQ QQMW "J sam Patented Oct. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LEONARD ARMAND MAURICE LEBLANC, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR T0 SOGIETE ANONYME POUR LEXPLOITATION DES PROCEDES WESTINGHOUSE-LE- SURFACE CONDENSER.

Application filed May 15, 1920.

Serial No. 381,762.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. I1. 1313.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LEONARD ARMAND MAURICE LEBLANC, citizen of the French Republic, residing at 1, Boulevard de Montmorency, Paris, Seine. in the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surface Condensers (for which I have filed an application in France April 5, 1919, Patent Number 497,859), of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has for its object to provide an improved surface condenser by means of which, owing to a predetermined steam circulation, the theoretic vacuum can be obtained with only a very small difierence between the temperature of the steam at the inlet of the condenser and the temperature of the cooling water at the outlet ensuring equal utilization of all the tubes and reducing to a minimum the drop in pressure undergone by the steam during its passage through the condenser, all of which are qualities which characterize a good surface condenser.

To obtain this circulation of steam, a screen is arranged so as to cause the steam entering at the top of the condenser casing to be deflected away from the top of the tube nest so that it can enter only at the lower part thereof or at any point between the bottom of the tube nest and a plane located slightly above the center of the condenser casing. In this manner the steam is caused to traverse the nest of tubes in an ascending direction so that the condensate in falling passes across the path of the inflowing steam, the air and non-condensable gases being withdrawn at the top of the tube nest in the coolest part of the condenser.

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawing. given by way of example, will enable the manner in which the invention may be carried out to be readily understood.

Fig. 1 is a transverse section through a condenser taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section and Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections on the lines 3-3 and 4-4; respectively of Fig. 2.

As shewn in the drawing the condenser has the usual cylindrical shape with its axis horizontal. The steam inlet is shewn at A at the upper and central part of the apparaitus which permits it to be readily used with a turbine. The outlet for condensed water is at B at the lower portion of the central part.

Within the condenser is provided a screen of suitable form which directs the steam which flows in at the top of the condenser towards the bottom of the cooling tube nest. In the form sh ewn in the drawing this screen G forms the internal walls of two channels C and D, which pass around the nest E and cause the steam to enter it only at the lower tion by a collector F arranged along the apparatus which receives them through the ori fices H and conducts them to the air pump by the exit pipe M.

The cooling water enters at I, and circulates inside the tubes E which are divided as shewn in the drawings into four groups J J J J bounded by the partitions P P P and leaves at K. These tubes are preferably arranged so that the paths followed by the steam, from the different points where it enters the condenser to the point where the air is extracted, cross an approximately equal number of tubes so that each group has a practically uniform effect upon the steam. The four tube groups J J J J do not include the same num ber of tubes since, in proportion as the top of the condenser is reached, they are in fact traversed by a weight of steam which continua lly diminishes in consequence of the condensation already effected.

It will be understood that the water circulation can be arranged in other ways than that indicated above and that the condenser may, in particular, comprise one, two or three water circulations.

I claim as my invention 1. In cc-nnbination in a surface condenser, a casing having a steam inlet port and a condensate delivery port, a nest of tubes located within said casing, means for defleeting steam entering said inlet port and for causing said steam to traverse said nest in an ascending direction across the path of the condensate and means for extracting air and non-condensable gases from the top of said nest of tubes.

2. In combination in a surface condenser, a casing having a steam inlet port and a condensate delivery port, a nest of tubes located within said casing between said ports and means located within said casing for deflecting steam entering said inlet .port and for causing such steam to traverse said nest in an ascending direction across the path of the condensate which passes downwardly towards said outlet port.

3. In a surface condenser, a casing having a steam inlet port formed in the top thereof and a condensate port formed in the bottom thereof, anest of tubes located in said casing and between said ports, a screen between said nest of tubes and said inlet port for deflecting steam entering said casing through said inlet port and for causing the steam to traverse the nest of tubes in an ascending direction across the path of the condensate passing toward said outlet port.

4. In a surface condenser, a casing having a steam inlet port formed in the upper part thereof and a condensate delivery port formed in the lower part thereof, a nest of tubes located within said casing between said ports, means within said casing for deflecting steam entering said inlet port around a portion of said nest and means located near the upper portion of said nest and extending throughout substantially the entire length thereof for withdrawing gases and noncondensaible vapors from the condenser.

5. In a surface condenser, a casing having a steam inlet port formed in the upper portion thereof and a condensate delivery port formed in the lower portion thereof, a nest of tubes located within said casing between said ports, means for causing the steam entering the inlet port to traverse the nest of tubes in an ascending direction and means for extracting the air and noncondensable gases from the upper portion of said condenser.

6. A surface condenser having in combination steam inlet, a nest of tubes, a screen adapted to cause the steam from said inlet to traverse said tube nest in an ascending direction, means for extracting air and non condensable gases adjacent the upper part of said condenser, said tubes being arranged so that the paths followed by the steam from the points at which it enters said nest cross substantially the same number of tubes.

7. A surface condenser having in combination a steam inlet adjacent the top thereof,

a nest of tubes, a screen adapted to cooperate with the wall of the condenser so as to form lateral channels for causing the steam from said inlet to traverse said nest of tubes in an ascending direction, means adjacent the upper part of the condenser for extracting air and non-condensable gases, said tube nest having a plurality of groups of tubes arranged so that the paths followed by the steam from the points at which it enters said nest cross substantially the same number of tubes.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES LEONARD ARMAND MAURICE LEBLMIC. 

